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My heart lurches and I lift my head, cup his face and bring his lips down to mine in a sweet, longing kiss. He moans into my mouth, deepening the kiss and squeezing me even more tightly against him.
I taste my tears in this kiss and I know he does too, but he doesn’t say anything. His lips move from mine to kiss the trail of my tears up my cheeks, licking up every one before pressing a kiss against each eyelid.
“Are you hurt?” He asks eventually.
I pull the collar of my shirt down to reveal my neck to him. I have no idea what the bruises look like but if the way his eyes darken dangerously is anything to go by, it looks horrifying.
“Please let me kill him.”
“No.” I say, burrowing closer to him. I can hear his heartbeat pounding against his rib cage, his pulse having not yet calmed down from the fight.
“Who is he?”
“My mom’s boyfriend,” I say with a shudder, before suddenly remembering the reason I came here in the first place. “My mom, Rhys. I came here to talk to her but she was gone. What if he did something to her? We need to go find her.” I exclaim frantically, trying to move out of his arms but he holds onto me tightly.
“Your mum is safe. I dropped her off at a rehab facility this morning.”
I stop struggling, my body sagging against him in disbelief.
“Why?" I ask, dumbfounded, "I don’t understand. How did you know I was here?”
“When I woke up at your place without you next to me, Bellamy told me you went home because your mum OD’d. I wasn’t going to let you handle that alone, love,” he says, pushing a strand of hair back behind my ear, “I took the plane to Chicago that afternoon and spent the past couple of days searching for the best rehab facility. I met your mum this morning and convinced her to go, then I dropped her off. I went to Trish’s place after I was done and she told me you were here, so I came right back. I wish I’d been thirty minutes faster so I could have stopped him from ever putting his hands you.” He growls, fury coming back into his voice as he looks off in the direction of the bathroom. “He’s a dead man, Silver, whether at my hands or someone who I pay to do the job, he won’t live much longer.”
Shock courses through me at the lengths he’s gone to over the past couple of days in addition to just saving my life.
“Why did you do all that for me?”
“Because I love you, Thayer. I’ve loved you for a long time now, even as I claimed to never want to fall in love. I would do a lot more than that to make you happy and ease your pain. You see me for who I really am and you make me want to risk it all. I can’t imagine my life without you.”
I get on my knees between his, wrap my arms back around his neck and squeeze him in a death grip as I bury my face in his neck.
“Tell me you still love me, Silver.” He pleads.
“I do,” I answer, my voice muffled.
He cups my nape gently, careful not to hurt me even more and pulls my head back.
“I want to hear the words. And Thayer, I want to hear my name.” He demands, “Say my name. Say you loveme.”
“I love you, Rhys. Even when I was mad at you I loved you. Even when I wasn’t supposed to love you, I did. How could I resist you when you’re the kindest, most generous person I’ve ever met? You’re my best friend, although don’t tell Bellamy because she’ll kill me, my lover, and my savior. I love you forever.”
He slams his lips down on mine in a bruising kiss, holding the back of my head so he can control the kiss. We paw at each other wildly, touch starved from our separation and excited by our mutual confessions.
Eventually, we break apart, gasping for breaths. He calls someone, a fixer of some sort who’s going to take care of this situation, and carries me outside and to safety.
???
41
Rhys
We end up spending Christmas in Chicago while Thayer recuperates from her injuries. The private doctor I took her to told her to avoid physical exertion for a week, so I get us a room at The Langham and I look after her.
I wait on her hand and foot while she recovers and refuse to touch her, no matter how much she begs.
She says she feels better after a couple of days, but I’m not taking any risks with her health.
Meanwhile, Mitch mysteriously disappears.
